Registered domestic partnerships are similar to marriage, but do not create all of the same rights and responsibilities. Before the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, most people in registered domestic partnerships were same-sex couples who lived in states that did not recognize same-sex marriage. Registered domestic partnerships remain an option for domestic partners in some cities and states. Some cities and states require one or both of the individuals to be at least 62 years of age to create a registered domestic partnership.

Laws vary from state to state, and some states refer to such a domestic arrangement as a civil union rather than a domestic partnership. Some of the benefits of a registered domestic partnership may include (1) the ability for one partner to secure health insurance for the other partner through an employer’s family health insurance plan; (2) visitation rights in hospitals and jails; (3) the right to take family leave to care for a sick partner; and (4) the right to take bereavement leave for the death of a partner under an employer’s bereavement leave policy.

In Indiana, registered domestic partnerships are not recognized at the state level. Since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, same-sex marriage has been legal across the United States, including Indiana. This ruling effectively extended all marriage rights to same-sex couples, rendering state-level domestic partnership registries largely redundant for the purpose of recognizing such relationships. However, some Indiana cities may have ordinances that recognize domestic partnerships and provide certain benefits, but these are not consistent across the state and are limited in scope compared to marriage. Benefits typically associated with domestic partnerships, such as health insurance coverage for partners, hospital and jail visitation rights, family leave, and bereavement leave, are not uniformly provided to domestic partners in Indiana. Couples seeking the full array of legal rights and responsibilities akin to marriage would need to get married under Indiana law.